The present invention relates to a control apparatus for controlling auxiliary equipment of a vehicle such as headlamps, side lamps, and wipers and in particular, to a control device for controlling the vehicle auxiliary equipment according to an output from a sensor detecting the condition around the vehicle.
JP-A-2001-519744 (PCT) and the corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 5,837,994 discloses a system for calculating the headlamp setting light intensity as a function of the distance to a preceding vehicle or to an oncoming vehicle and the horizontal position and performs automatic dimming of the right and left headlamps simultaneously.
Moreover, JP-A-11-112968 discloses a system for connecting an image processing device and a plurality of vehicle electronic devices via an in-vehicle LAN. According to this system, in response to an event request from the vehicle electronic device, an image processing result is sent back from the image processing device so as to operate the vehicle electronic device.
Moreover, JP-A-2002-526317 (PCT) and the corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 6,049,171 discloses a system for reducing the illumination range of the continuously changing lamp of a controller vehicle when a vehicle ahead of the headlamps of the controlled vehicle is in the glare area and otherwise, setting the lamp to the full illumination range.
In the example disclosed in JP-A-2001-519744 (PCT), (U.S. Pat. No. 5,837,994) when a vehicle overtakes a controlled vehicle, in the controlled vehicle, the light intensity of the headlamp opposite to the headlamp of the overtaken side and the headlamp of the overtaken side is reduced to the same light intensity. Accordingly, brightness of the illumination of the overtaken side and the opposite side of the controlled vehicle becomes insufficient.
In the example of JP-A-11-112968, when an event request is made from a vehicle electronic device, the vehicle electronic device is connected to the image processing device by one-to-one connection. Accordingly, when identifying an obstacle of high priority, a walker, and a white line on the road, image acquisition and processing are repeated and it is impossible to effectively operate the image processing device.
In the example of JP-A-2002-526317 (PCT) (U.S. Pat. No. 6,049,171), for example, when an oncoming vehicle suddenly appears ahead, the headlamps of the controlled vehicle are gradually reduced in light intensity and the oncoming vehicle comes into a glare area to dazzle the driver.